FAVOURITE FILMS OF 2023 |
This article is a look at my favourite films of 2023.
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MY TOP 57 FAVOURITE FILMS OF 2023
57. THE THREE MUSKETEERS: D'ARTAGNAN
Energetic, charismatic, exciting. At last a version to rival the 1973 movie. A fast-paced French period action flick, with the Vincent Cassel and Romain Duris casting seal of quality.
56. THE ABANDONED
An interesting Taiwanese serial killer thriller with a compelling detective.
55. TOTALLY KILLER
A horror-comedy that is a cross between BACK TO THE FUTURE and SCREAM.
54. THE PALE BLUE EYE
An atmospheric, loquacious nineteenth century murder-mystery. The genre lives and dies by the twists, and this delivers a satisfying rug-pull.
53. AKA
After this and the LOST BULLET films, Albert Lenoir is becoming a high quality action brand. Colonial politics and fisticuffs.
52. BARBIE
A hugely imaginative blockbuster.
51. THUNIVU
A bonkers bank heist action flick morphs into a scathing political commentary, all the while not forgetting to keep the carnage at full-tilt.
50. DUMB MONEY
Watch Netflix’s GAMESTOP documentary first. This is a succinct, entertaining, rat-a-tat anti-high-finance tirade.
49. THANKSGIVING
Eli Roth is one of the worst directors working. Maybe I’m a masochist because I continue to watch his movies? But the masochism has finally paid off. A horror film about consumerism and avarice. At times so gory, it makes you laugh.
48. EMPIRE OF LIGHT
Films about the love of films can be annoying, this isn’t thanks to the politics and the two leads. The chemistry is palpable.
47. RYE LANE
The mirth and warmth almost make the tired rom-com formula forgivable. It is a delight to see South London represented at the movies.
46. SHORTCOMINGS
A comedy about the film industry, and perfectionism leading to arrogance and inability to create.
45. RENFIELD
With this and PIG, Nic Cage is knocking it out if the park. Buckets of blood, gore, and hilarity.
44. MONSTER
Lies and misunderstanding. So much understandable pain.
43. M3GAN
A horror in the vein of CHUCKY with extra guffaws.
42. I DON’T EXPECT ANYONE TO BELIEVE ME
An unusual crime flick that is both stressful and amusing, set in the world of academia.
41. PAIN HUSTLERS
Am a big fan of movies dissecting greed, in what otherwise might have been dry subject matter, in a compelling way. THE BIG SHORT, THE LAUNDROMAT, DUMB MONEY. This.
40. JAANE JAAN / SUSPECT X
A gripping Indian crime flick.
39. MUTT
I enjoy movies with tight timeframes. Here 24 hours in the life of a transgender man that feel urgent without being a thriller. The stakes are high without being life and death. An emotional film with accomplished performances.
38. DUNKI
A humanistic, moving film about immigration.
37. COCAINE BEAR
A violent, gruesome, funny monster movie.
36. POLITE SOCIETY
A joyous action-comedy about a teenager trying to derail her sister’s wedding. The dialogue is so enjoyably punchy - the cutting barbs do even more damage than the kicks. Priya Kansara is a blockbuster lead in waiting.
35. YOU HURT MY FEELINGS
Is anyone good at their job in this movie? An enjoyably squirm-inducing film about professional and relationship disappointments. The cast is on superb form, even in minor roles.
34. TÁR
Not sure about the Juilliard scene. But the rest is mesmerising. Drama of the highest order, the best since MANCHESTER BY THE SEA.
33. MERKEL
A fascinating documentary looking at one of the modern world’s great leaders.
32. CREED III
What boxing choreography! CREED I-III are better than ROCKY I-VI. This spin-off franchise really goes for the guts emotionally. Forgiveness, drive, redemption, the important stuff.
31. THE CONFERENCE
A very entertaining Scandi work retreat serial killer comedy.
30. BROKER
Heart-breaking and compassionate, like the best of director Hirokazu Koreeda’s films.
29. MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON
Effing brilliant. What a moving, lively, inventive film! Lump in the throat stuff.
28. SALTBURN
If PARASITE was set in the England and about the middle classes social climbing.
27. BLACKBERRY
A surprisingly fascinating tech biopic.
26. SCRAPPER
Astutely judged. Heartfelt in the best possible way. A film chock to the brim with charisma.
25. NAGA
Oozing visual panache and energetic edge-of-your-seat thrills. One of those everything-goes-wrong in a night flicks.
24. BAD LANDS
Plenty of threat, but judicious use of violence. A crime movie concerning depravity. The harshness offset by a filial bond forged from brutality, and a resourceful protagonist.
23. BLOOD & GOLD
A cracking WW2 actioner with dark humour and moral fury.
22. APOCALYPSE CLOWN
Laugh-out-loud. Concerns the end of civilisation, from the perspective of cringe clowns. Whenever it could go sentimental, it eschews the mawkish. Every movie should learn from that.
21. THE HYPNOSIS
Another ace Scandi comedy. A couple attend an app conference in Sweden. Awkwardness abounds. Underlying ideas of rebelling against fake, obnoxious, unkind people; and to be your authentic self. But they torch bridges along the way.
20. PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH
I had written off the Shrek movie universe after SHREK 2, but against the odds this delivers in spades: storytelling smarts, action animation, a winning fable, and regular guffaws. From the opening kaiju to Wagner Moura’s intimidating bounty hunter, there is much to relish.
19. BALLERINA
Merciless South Korean action-thriller. Cinema has a lot to thank the JOHN WICK franchise for its positive influence.
18. TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM
Uproarious and frenetic. The zinging dialogue of a screwball comedy meets the animated inventiveness of ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE. In a sea of scene-stealers, is Ice Cube or Paul Rudd the winner? Kept thinking, this is just delivering.
17. MAGGIE MOORE(S)
A charismatic, extremely enjoyable crime movie. Nick Mohammed would’ve stolen the film if everyone else wasn’t delivering.
16. JAWAN
This has everything: Joy, wit, tragedy, anger. What a Bollywood event movie! Seething political commentary and bananas action sequences, what a combo! Has overtaken KGF 2 and BAAHUBALI 2 as my favourite Indian blockbuster.
15. THEY CLONED TYRONE
Reminds of DARK CITY. An inventive, socially conscious sci-fi. A witty script and a trio of magnetic leads.
14. LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND
Director Sam Esmail is an unsung master. Framing, tension, verve. Mesmerising and unnerving.
13. KILL BOKSOON
Observations on corporate monopolies and raising a family are wrapped in a compelling assassin actioner from South Korea. The fisticuffs remind of the recent SHERLOCK HOLMES blockbusters, where the lead plays out brawls until she succeeds. The office politics of contract killers is portrayed with darkly thrilling menace.
12. ALL-TIME HIGH / NOUVEAUX RICHES
A compulsive liar causes carnage. A watch-through-your-fingers French rom-com punctuated by intricate pandemonium.
11. BABYLON
Shows the brutality of the movie-making in unalloyed effervescence. It looks like it cost $200million.
10. EL CONDE
What a vampire movie! Linking blood suckers with dictatorships.
9. PAST LIVES
Deeply romantic movies are rare. Set over a quarter of a century, this story delivers bitter-sweet intensity. Writer-director Celine Song is a talent. An impressive debut. PAST LIVES is a tear-jerker in the best possible sense.
8. DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: HONOUR AMONG THIEVES
A rollicking fantasy epic. Rattles along at pace, without wasting time and patience on the rules of the realm. A real blast of a blockbuster, from a pudgy homicidal dragon to winsome leads continually failing yet persevering nonetheless.
7. THE CREATOR
Visually stunning! An anti-war, emotional extravaganza. John David Washington has cemented himself as an engaging lead. The ending is conventional, but director Gareth Edwards has such command of the frame.
6. SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE
I thought I was spider-man-ed out, but this is exhilarating. The opening action scene is wow-inducing. For a superhero movie, the screenplay is electric. Can’t wait for BEYOND THE SPIDER-VERSE.
5. HIT MAN
Expert tone juggling. A riotous, mesmerising assassin comedy. Director Richard Linklater’s ridiculously delightful return to form. Glen Powell and Adria Arjona give star-making turns.
4. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – DEAD RECKONING PART ONE
A globetrotting threading of the needle. Edge-of-your-seat adrenaline and exhilaration, intimidation and dread, a rare blockbuster that is both rivetingly claustrophobic and epic. Can't wait for the next instalment.
3. HOW TO BLOW UP A PIPELINE
Joins NIGHT MOVES [2013], FIRST REFORMED [2017], and WOMAN AT WAR [2018] eco-terrorism movies. This is nail-biting stuff.
2. THE KILLER
Immaculate. Mesmerising. Precisely calibrated movie-making. The dense atmosphere few can create, with the pop philosophy of COLLATERAL.
1. JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4
Surely a contender for the greatest action movie of all time? See this at the best screen you can. The carnage choreography is mind-blowing, the sound design is brain-rattling, the LAWRENCE OF ARABIA matchstick gag is hilarious.
And now from my favourites, to the awards for the best of 2023. Click here.
Energetic, charismatic, exciting. At last a version to rival the 1973 movie. A fast-paced French period action flick, with the Vincent Cassel and Romain Duris casting seal of quality.
56. THE ABANDONED
An interesting Taiwanese serial killer thriller with a compelling detective.
55. TOTALLY KILLER
A horror-comedy that is a cross between BACK TO THE FUTURE and SCREAM.
54. THE PALE BLUE EYE
An atmospheric, loquacious nineteenth century murder-mystery. The genre lives and dies by the twists, and this delivers a satisfying rug-pull.
53. AKA
After this and the LOST BULLET films, Albert Lenoir is becoming a high quality action brand. Colonial politics and fisticuffs.
52. BARBIE
A hugely imaginative blockbuster.
51. THUNIVU
A bonkers bank heist action flick morphs into a scathing political commentary, all the while not forgetting to keep the carnage at full-tilt.
50. DUMB MONEY
Watch Netflix’s GAMESTOP documentary first. This is a succinct, entertaining, rat-a-tat anti-high-finance tirade.
49. THANKSGIVING
Eli Roth is one of the worst directors working. Maybe I’m a masochist because I continue to watch his movies? But the masochism has finally paid off. A horror film about consumerism and avarice. At times so gory, it makes you laugh.
48. EMPIRE OF LIGHT
Films about the love of films can be annoying, this isn’t thanks to the politics and the two leads. The chemistry is palpable.
47. RYE LANE
The mirth and warmth almost make the tired rom-com formula forgivable. It is a delight to see South London represented at the movies.
46. SHORTCOMINGS
A comedy about the film industry, and perfectionism leading to arrogance and inability to create.
45. RENFIELD
With this and PIG, Nic Cage is knocking it out if the park. Buckets of blood, gore, and hilarity.
44. MONSTER
Lies and misunderstanding. So much understandable pain.
43. M3GAN
A horror in the vein of CHUCKY with extra guffaws.
42. I DON’T EXPECT ANYONE TO BELIEVE ME
An unusual crime flick that is both stressful and amusing, set in the world of academia.
41. PAIN HUSTLERS
Am a big fan of movies dissecting greed, in what otherwise might have been dry subject matter, in a compelling way. THE BIG SHORT, THE LAUNDROMAT, DUMB MONEY. This.
40. JAANE JAAN / SUSPECT X
A gripping Indian crime flick.
39. MUTT
I enjoy movies with tight timeframes. Here 24 hours in the life of a transgender man that feel urgent without being a thriller. The stakes are high without being life and death. An emotional film with accomplished performances.
38. DUNKI
A humanistic, moving film about immigration.
37. COCAINE BEAR
A violent, gruesome, funny monster movie.
36. POLITE SOCIETY
A joyous action-comedy about a teenager trying to derail her sister’s wedding. The dialogue is so enjoyably punchy - the cutting barbs do even more damage than the kicks. Priya Kansara is a blockbuster lead in waiting.
35. YOU HURT MY FEELINGS
Is anyone good at their job in this movie? An enjoyably squirm-inducing film about professional and relationship disappointments. The cast is on superb form, even in minor roles.
34. TÁR
Not sure about the Juilliard scene. But the rest is mesmerising. Drama of the highest order, the best since MANCHESTER BY THE SEA.
33. MERKEL
A fascinating documentary looking at one of the modern world’s great leaders.
32. CREED III
What boxing choreography! CREED I-III are better than ROCKY I-VI. This spin-off franchise really goes for the guts emotionally. Forgiveness, drive, redemption, the important stuff.
31. THE CONFERENCE
A very entertaining Scandi work retreat serial killer comedy.
30. BROKER
Heart-breaking and compassionate, like the best of director Hirokazu Koreeda’s films.
29. MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON
Effing brilliant. What a moving, lively, inventive film! Lump in the throat stuff.
28. SALTBURN
If PARASITE was set in the England and about the middle classes social climbing.
27. BLACKBERRY
A surprisingly fascinating tech biopic.
26. SCRAPPER
Astutely judged. Heartfelt in the best possible way. A film chock to the brim with charisma.
25. NAGA
Oozing visual panache and energetic edge-of-your-seat thrills. One of those everything-goes-wrong in a night flicks.
24. BAD LANDS
Plenty of threat, but judicious use of violence. A crime movie concerning depravity. The harshness offset by a filial bond forged from brutality, and a resourceful protagonist.
23. BLOOD & GOLD
A cracking WW2 actioner with dark humour and moral fury.
22. APOCALYPSE CLOWN
Laugh-out-loud. Concerns the end of civilisation, from the perspective of cringe clowns. Whenever it could go sentimental, it eschews the mawkish. Every movie should learn from that.
21. THE HYPNOSIS
Another ace Scandi comedy. A couple attend an app conference in Sweden. Awkwardness abounds. Underlying ideas of rebelling against fake, obnoxious, unkind people; and to be your authentic self. But they torch bridges along the way.
20. PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH
I had written off the Shrek movie universe after SHREK 2, but against the odds this delivers in spades: storytelling smarts, action animation, a winning fable, and regular guffaws. From the opening kaiju to Wagner Moura’s intimidating bounty hunter, there is much to relish.
19. BALLERINA
Merciless South Korean action-thriller. Cinema has a lot to thank the JOHN WICK franchise for its positive influence.
18. TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM
Uproarious and frenetic. The zinging dialogue of a screwball comedy meets the animated inventiveness of ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE. In a sea of scene-stealers, is Ice Cube or Paul Rudd the winner? Kept thinking, this is just delivering.
17. MAGGIE MOORE(S)
A charismatic, extremely enjoyable crime movie. Nick Mohammed would’ve stolen the film if everyone else wasn’t delivering.
16. JAWAN
This has everything: Joy, wit, tragedy, anger. What a Bollywood event movie! Seething political commentary and bananas action sequences, what a combo! Has overtaken KGF 2 and BAAHUBALI 2 as my favourite Indian blockbuster.
15. THEY CLONED TYRONE
Reminds of DARK CITY. An inventive, socially conscious sci-fi. A witty script and a trio of magnetic leads.
14. LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND
Director Sam Esmail is an unsung master. Framing, tension, verve. Mesmerising and unnerving.
13. KILL BOKSOON
Observations on corporate monopolies and raising a family are wrapped in a compelling assassin actioner from South Korea. The fisticuffs remind of the recent SHERLOCK HOLMES blockbusters, where the lead plays out brawls until she succeeds. The office politics of contract killers is portrayed with darkly thrilling menace.
12. ALL-TIME HIGH / NOUVEAUX RICHES
A compulsive liar causes carnage. A watch-through-your-fingers French rom-com punctuated by intricate pandemonium.
11. BABYLON
Shows the brutality of the movie-making in unalloyed effervescence. It looks like it cost $200million.
10. EL CONDE
What a vampire movie! Linking blood suckers with dictatorships.
9. PAST LIVES
Deeply romantic movies are rare. Set over a quarter of a century, this story delivers bitter-sweet intensity. Writer-director Celine Song is a talent. An impressive debut. PAST LIVES is a tear-jerker in the best possible sense.
8. DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: HONOUR AMONG THIEVES
A rollicking fantasy epic. Rattles along at pace, without wasting time and patience on the rules of the realm. A real blast of a blockbuster, from a pudgy homicidal dragon to winsome leads continually failing yet persevering nonetheless.
7. THE CREATOR
Visually stunning! An anti-war, emotional extravaganza. John David Washington has cemented himself as an engaging lead. The ending is conventional, but director Gareth Edwards has such command of the frame.
6. SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE
I thought I was spider-man-ed out, but this is exhilarating. The opening action scene is wow-inducing. For a superhero movie, the screenplay is electric. Can’t wait for BEYOND THE SPIDER-VERSE.
5. HIT MAN
Expert tone juggling. A riotous, mesmerising assassin comedy. Director Richard Linklater’s ridiculously delightful return to form. Glen Powell and Adria Arjona give star-making turns.
4. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – DEAD RECKONING PART ONE
A globetrotting threading of the needle. Edge-of-your-seat adrenaline and exhilaration, intimidation and dread, a rare blockbuster that is both rivetingly claustrophobic and epic. Can't wait for the next instalment.
3. HOW TO BLOW UP A PIPELINE
Joins NIGHT MOVES [2013], FIRST REFORMED [2017], and WOMAN AT WAR [2018] eco-terrorism movies. This is nail-biting stuff.
2. THE KILLER
Immaculate. Mesmerising. Precisely calibrated movie-making. The dense atmosphere few can create, with the pop philosophy of COLLATERAL.
1. JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4
Surely a contender for the greatest action movie of all time? See this at the best screen you can. The carnage choreography is mind-blowing, the sound design is brain-rattling, the LAWRENCE OF ARABIA matchstick gag is hilarious.
And now from my favourites, to the awards for the best of 2023. Click here.